All Coronal Loops are the Same: Evidence to the Contrary

The 1998 April 20 spectral line data from the Coronal Diagnostics Spectrometer (CDS) on the {\it Solar and Heliospheric Observatory} (\SOHO) shows a coronal loop on the solar limb. Our original analysis of these data showed that the plasma was multi-thermal, both along the length of the loop and along the line of sight. However, more recent results by other authors indicate that background subtraction might change these conclusions, so we consider the effect of background subtraction on our analysis. We show Emission Measure (EM) Loci plots of three representative pixels: loop apex, upper leg, and lower leg. Comparisons of the original and background-subtracted intensities show that the EM Loci are more tightly clustered after background subtraction, but that the plasma is still not well represented by an isothermal model. Our results taken together with those of other authors indicate that a variety of temperature structures may be present within loops.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Fusion of radioactive 132^{132}Sn with 64^{64}Ni

Evaporation residue and fission cross sections of radioactive $^{132}$Sn on $^{64}$Ni were measured near the Coulomb barrier. A large sub-barrier fusion enhancement was observed. Coupled-channel calculations including inelastic excitation of the projectile and target, and neutron transfer are in good agreement with the measured fusion excitation function. When the change in nuclear size and shift in barrier height are accounted for, there is no extra fusion enhancement in $^{132}$Sn+$^{64}$Ni with respect to stable Sn+$^{64}$Ni. A systematic comparison of evaporation residue cross sections for the fusion of even $^{112-124}$Sn and $^{132}$Sn with $^{64}$Ni is presented.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

The Detection of Ionizing Radiation by Plasma Panel Sensors: Cosmic Muons, Ion Beams and Cancer Therapy

The plasma panel sensor is an ionizing photon and particle radiation detector derived from PDP technology with high gain and nanosecond response. Experimental results in detecting cosmic ray muons and beta particles from radioactive sources are described along with applications including high energy and nuclear physics, homeland security and cancer therapeuticsComment: Presented at SID Symposium, June 201

Plasma Panel Sensors for Particle and Beam Detection

The plasma panel sensor (PPS) is an inherently digital, high gain, novel variant of micropattern gas detectors inspired by many operational and fabrication principles common to plasma display panels (PDPs). The PPS is comprised of a dense array of small, plasma discharge, gas cells within a hermetically-sealed glass panel, and is assembled from non-reactive, intrinsically radiation-hard materials such as glass substrates, metal electrodes and mostly inert gas mixtures. We are developing the technology to fabricate these devices with very low mass and small thickness, using gas gaps of at least a few hundred micrometers. Our tests with these devices demonstrate a spatial resolution of about 1 mm. We intend to make PPS devices with much smaller cells and the potential for much finer position resolutions. Our PPS tests also show response times of several nanoseconds. We report here our results in detecting betas, cosmic-ray muons, and our first proton beam tests.Comment: 2012 IEEE NS

Photonuclear fission with quasimonoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefields

Recent advancements in laser wakefield accelerators have resulted in the generation of low divergence, hundred MeV, quasimonoenergetic electron beams. The bremsstrahlung produced by these highly energetic electrons in heavy converters includes a large number of MeV γγ rays that have been utilized to induce photofission in natural uranium. Analysis of the measured delayed γγ emission demonstrates production of greater than 3×1053×105 fission events per joule of laser energy, which is more than an order of magnitude greater than that previously achieved. Monte Carlo simulations model the generated bremsstrahlung spectrum and compare photofission yields as a function of target depth and incident electron energy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87815/2/231107_1.pd

Development of a plasma panel radiation detector: recent progress and key issues

A radiation detector based on plasma display panel technology, which is the principal component of plasma television displays is presented. Plasma Panel Sensor (PPS) technology is a variant of micropattern gas radiation detectors. The PPS is conceived as an array of sealed plasma discharge gas cells which can be used for fast response (O(5ns) per pixel), high spatial resolution detection (pixel pitch can be less than 100 micrometer) of ionizing and minimum ionizing particles. The PPS is assembled from non-reactive, intrinsically radiation-hard materials: glass substrates, metal electrodes and inert gas mixtures. We report on the PPS development program, including simulations and design and the first laboratory studies which demonstrate the usage of plasma display panels in measurements of cosmic ray muons, as well as the expansion of experimental results on the detection of betas from radioactive sources.Comment: presented at IEEE NSS 2011 (Barcelona

Multiple Tyrosine Residues Contribute to GABA Binding in the GABA_C Receptor Binding Pocket

The ligand binding site of Cys-loop receptors is dominated by aromatic amino acids. In GABA_C receptors, these are predominantly tyrosine residues, with a number of other aromatic residues located in or close to the binding pocket. Here we examine the roles of these residues using substitution with both natural and unnatural amino acids followed by functional characterization. Tyr198 (loop B) has previously been shown to form a cation−π interaction with GABA; the current data indicate that none of the other aromatic residues form such an interaction, although the data indicate that both Tyr102 and Phe138 may contribute to stabilization of the positively charged amine of GABA. Tyr247 (loop C) was very sensitive to substitution and, combined with data from a model of the receptor, suggest a π–π interaction with Tyr241 (loop C); here again functional data show aromaticity is important. In addition the hydroxyl group of Tyr241 is important, supporting the presence of a hydrogen bond with Arg104 suggested by the model. At position Tyr102 (loop D) size and aromaticity are important; this residue may play a role in receptor gating and/or ligand binding. The data also suggest that Tyr167, Tyr200, and Tyr208 have a structural role while Tyr106, Trp246, and Tyr251 are not critical. Comparison of the agonist binding site “aromatic box” across the superfamily of Cys-loop receptors reveals some interesting parallels and divergences

Elastic scattering and breakup of 17^F at 10 MeV/nucleon

Angular distributions of fluorine and oxygen produced from 170 MeV 17^F incident on 208^Pb were measured. The elastic scattering data are in good agreement with optical model calculations using a double-folding potential and parameters similar to those obtained from 16^O+208^Pb. A large yield of oxygen was observed near \theta_lab=36 deg. It is reproduced fairly well by a calculation of the (17^F,16^O) breakup, which is dominated by one-proton stripping reactions. The discrepancy between our previous coincidence measurement and theoretical predictions was resolved by including core absorption in the present calculation.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure